May 28, 2015
BALLYFERMOT
Suburban
town
12-page feature
Echo Office,
six weeks on
See page 42
Larry Massey
Serving the community
for 42 years – pg 44
Pure
art
community
connection campaign
Art competition in conjunction
with Mary Queen of Angels
Primary School – pg 46
The Echo office operates at
Ballyfermot Resource Centre every
Friday from 10.00am to 4.00pm
Fantastic facilities
at Base
Ultra equipped Base
Ballyfermot Youth Centre and
Childcare Facility – pg 50
42 Ballyfermot
The Echo, Thursday, May 28, 2015
Ballyfermot Echo o
BALLYFERMOT has long been a bustling hub of
activity and has featured in The Echo newspaper
over the past three decades. Six weeks after the
official launch of the paper's first Dublin 10 office
that activity continues to grow.
By Maurice Garvey
maurice@echo.ie
The Echo's Ballyfermot office, is
open to the public every Friday at
the Ballyfermot Resource Centre,
situated in Lower Ballyfermot in
a former school premises, from
10am to 4pm.
Residents now have a local
office to assist them with all their
needs, including memorials,
anniversaries, local stories and
general queries.
The addition of a permanent
Ballyfermot office is a big step
towards
strengthening
the
relationship between residents and
a local paper that proudly
represents
the
community's
interests.
There has always been a positive
response since The Echo started
printing a Ballyfermot edition in
the early 1990s.
Emma Kennedy, Managing
Director at The Echo said: “We are
delighted so far with the reaction to
The Echo's Ballyfermot office and
we see an increased demand for
our services in the area.
“We are delighted to have a
permanent presence in Ballyfermot
- which will help to nurture the
relationship we already enjoy with
our readers. Changes have been
made in recent times to improve
the paper's local content, both in
print and online and with the
continued success of the new
office we hope to represent the best
interests of the community long
into the future.”
The Echo plans to keep a close
eye on the development of the
Ballyfermot office with the hope of
extending the service in the future
and possibly rolling out micro
offices in other areas where The
Echo is sold. To contact The Echo
call 468 5350.
‘‘
We are delighted to have a
permanent presence in
Ballyfermot - which will help to nurture
the relationship we already enjoy with
our readers. Changes have been made
in recent times to improve the paper's
local content, both in print and online
and with the continued success of the
new office we hope to represent the
best interests of the community long
into the future
Woodlands Creche
Emma Kennedy from
The Echo with Patrick
and Cillian at the recent
launch of the Ballyfermot
Echo office
St. Gabriel’s Primary School,
Ballyfermot, Dublin 10
PRIMARY SCHOOL
& P R E- S C H O O L
Ballyfermot Family Resource Centre
Now taking enrolment for FREE ECCE
places for September 2015
We also offer quality, affordable and
reliable childcare & afterschool service
in the Ballyfermot area.
Contact Lisa on 01 6269642
Open Mor ning for All
T hur s da y 28t h M ay
f r o m 9 a m to 1 0 . 3 0 a m
View our school and activities,
all are welcome, just come along
Ballyfermot 43
The Echo, Thursday, May 28, 2015
office six weeks on
The Echo office at Ballyfermot Resource Centre every
Friday from 10.00am to 4.00pm
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WE LOOK AT THINGS DIFFERENTLY
Loans are subject to approval. Terms and conditions apply.
Ballyfermot Credit Union Ltd is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.
ballyfermotcu.ie
44 Ballyfermot
The Echo, Thursday, May 28, 2015
42 years in Ballyfermot
Larry Massey Funeral Directors continue serving the community at Grange Cross
SOME buildings are part of the fabric in
Ballyfermot and one long established business is
celebrating 42 years in the community this year.
By Maurice Garvey
maurice@echo.ie
Every minute detail is catered
for to ease the grieving
process, whether it's arranging
an organist or singer, floral
service, placing obituary
notices in newspapers, local
radio/rip.ie, church offering and
sacristan, doctor’s fees, books
of condolence and graveside
preparation including public
address system
Larry Masseys opened their
Ballyfermot premises at Grange
Cross in 1973 and have been
providing a friendly, local funeral
service to the community for five
decades.
Their commitment to building
relationships with clients is evident in
a professional 24 hour, seven day a
week, 365 days a year, service, which
is 100 per cent confidential and well
known locally for an empathetic level
of care in dealing with grieving
families.
Founder Larry Massey, initially
established a funeral home at
Terenure in 1972 before opening
Ballyfermot the year after – each
premises containing three reposing
bays.
Not only have both homes stood
the test of time but in 2012, Larry
Massey's opened the Eden Funeral
Home in Rathfarnham, to provide
the same level of care for clients
in the wider community.
Each premises has been recently
renovated.
Staff at the homes are local, fully
trained to the highest standards, and
EMPIRE DIGIT
TAL
308 Ballyfermot Road D10
Ph: 01-6262610 email: empireballyferm
mot@gmail.com
We now stock a range off pre owned
d and new
/DSWRSV7DEOHWV3ULFHV)URP¼
Screens ,Batteries Speakers etc replaced on
phones & iPads
Laptop screens ,Chargers & Batteries replaced
Virus removal service.
2QUHSDLUVRYHU¼GXULQJ-XQH:LWKWKLVYRXFKHU
* 1 Voucher per customer offer valid on Phone & Laptop
repairs ONLY
Y*
TEE SHIR
RT PRIN
NTING
Print tee shirts for your Stag or
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Offfer available with this voucher only
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believe in treating each family they
deal with as one of their own.
Every possible aspect of a funeral
service is covered by Larry Masseys.
Amongst these are a fleet of
Mercedes hearses and
limousines, horse
drawn hearses,
funeral planning
according to the
wishes of the
family, coffins,
Every minute detail is catered for
to ease the grieving process, whether
it's arranging an organist or singer,
floral service,
placing obituary
notices in
newspapers,
local
radio/rip.ie,
church
offering and
sacristan,
doctor’s fees,
books of
condolence and
graveside
preparation
including public address
system.
Larry Masseys do not
charge for the use of their
funeral homes and staff offer
a full consultation on funeral
costs and other additional
requirements such as repatriation to
and from Ireland, pre- arrangement
service and a monumental service.
To contact Larry Masseys,
Ballyfermot, call 6265094 or 1800
627739.
Rum
Toffee
CREATIVE HAIR
burial/cremation
service, care, preparation
and presentation of a loved one and
co-ordination of arrangements with
clergy, cemeteries and crematoria.
SPECIAL OFFERS
MONDAY - WEDNESDAY
20% off
ALL COLOUR SERVICES
TO INCLUDE A CUT
All standard prices (Terms & Conditions apply)
€15 Full Blowdry
€80 Full Head Meche
(€15 Blowdry Monday - Wednesday Only)
Phone 01 6200036
The Echo, Thursday, May 28, 2015
Ballyfermot 45
Serving and Supporting the people of Ballyfermot for 42 years
- Respect
- Compassion
- Trust
- Local
Working to suit every
individual budget
The use of our funeral home is free of charge
341 Ballyfermot Road 01 6265094
www.massey.ie
46 Ballyfermot
The Echo, Thursday, May 28, 2015
Pure art
community
connection
campaign
Aisling Rochford from Pure Pharmacy with the winners of their recent community art competition
PURE Pharmacy in
Ballyfermot held an art
competition in conjunction
with Mary Queen of Angels
Primary School, as part of
community connection
campaign.
By Maurice Garvey
maurice@echo.ie
Jordan Farry, Operations Manager Pure
Pharmacy, said: “It generated a lot of
positivity among the kids and our staff
and also added to the already great
community spirit.
“We awarded the top five entries
prizes, including a kindle, Easons
vouchers and arts kits.”
The pharmacy recently rolled out price
reductions across all medication, and are
now as competitive as the UK and other
EU member states for prescription
medication.
Jordan continued: “To be able to
provide these prices, we rely heavily on
high volumes of customers. Being
located slightly outside of the village it is
important for us to connect with the
entire Ballyfermot community, and their
support has been great so far.
“We wanted to give a little back by
running a competition for the enthusiastic
kids of Ballyfermot.
The theme was summer and we felt
these students hit the nail on the head and
pipped other great entries to the post.
Each and every entry was excellent and
very difficult to judge the winners.”
‘‘
To be able to
provide these
prices, we rely heavily
on high volumes of
customers. Being
located slightly outside
of the village it is
important for us to
connect with the entire
Ballyfermot community,
and their support has
been great so far
MASSIVE DISCOUNTS
ON PRESCRIPTIONS
+ All Schemes
+ All Brands
NO
SIGN UP
FEE
START SAVING NOW
Unit 2 Phoenix Shopping Centre,
Ballyfermot, Dublin 10
Phone: 01-6268567
The Echo, Thursday, May 28, 2015
Ballyfermot 47
48 Ballyfermot
The Echo, Thursday, May 28, 2015
Civic reflections
BUILT in 2001, the Ballyfermot
Civic and Community Centre
not only reflects the
surrounding sky-line but also
the needs of the local
community - with the centre
offering a range of community
and civic services, employment
and a welcoming cuppa in its
nourishing cafe.
By Mary Dennehy
mary@echo.ie
A visually striking building, the
Ballyfermot Civic and Community Centre is
aptly located on the site of the old
Ballyfermot Community Centre on
Ballyfermot Road - which, built in the
seventies, was made possible by local
residents who donated six pence or one
shilling a week to the construction of the
community facility.
Renowned for its strong sense of
community spirit, the community of
Ballyfermot deservedly got a new state-ofthe-art civic and community centre in 2001 which was opened by then Taoiseach Bertie
Ahern.
Joe Garland, centre manager, told The
Echo that the centre is run by the
community, for the community - and offers a
range of services across two distinct sides of
the centre.
The civic side of the centre boasts a range
of formalised services such as a local area
Dublin City Council office, Citizens
Information Centre, MABS [Money Advice]
and CDVEC adult education.
The community side of the building,
which is run by the Ballyfermot Community
Association, is home to the popular
Ballyfermot Theatre Workshops, a
community space for staging plays, events
and meetings and the Ballyfermot Travellers
Action Project among other services.
West Dublin Access Radio also broadcasts
from the building and a public cafe is also
open - offering tea and wholesome,
subsidised meals such as stew, coddle and
The Ballyfermot Advance Project is a low threshold service and
offers drug/alcohol users support around their drug/alcohol use.
We also provide education and training programmes to the wider
community.
We offer the following services:
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Drop in Service
Breakfast Morning
Counselling
Keyworking Harm Reduction
Needle Exchange
Acupuncture
Residential Treatment Options Holistic Therapies
Support for Childcare
Community Grants
Group Workshops Community Addiction Studies
(Fetac Level 5
For further information about any of our services,
please drop in for a friendly chat or contact:
Ballyfermot Advance Project,
3b Le Fanu Road, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10.
Tel: 01 6238001, email:info@ballyfermotadvance.ie
fish on a Friday.
The cafe also goes down well with many
of the area’s senior citizen, many of whom
live on their own and drop in for a chat, a
tasty bowl of coddle or stew and a cuppa all for a healthy price.
The cafe also does takeaway and will get
meals to people who cannot visit the centre.
Joe told The Echo: “I would encourage
local people to drop into the cafe for a cup of
tea and I guarantee that within five minutes
you’ll have more information that you ever
thought you needed!
“The majority of people who work in the
centre are from Ballyfermot so, everybody
knows everybody.”
Ballyfermot
Civic and
Community
Centre
The centre, which is run by Community
Services Programme and funded by the
Department of Social Protection, also offers
employment to local people - including
minority groups.
Around 100 people work in the centre, 50
per cent of whom are employed through
various community employment schemes.
“This centre was built by the community
and serves the community”, Joe said.
“And, the centre helps to ensure that grant
money coming into the community, is
contained in the community and supports
local life, business and services.”
Contact the Ballyfermot Community and
Civic Centre on 6207160.
Ph: 6264994
F U N C T I O N RO O M F O R H I R E
FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHT
SUMMER SPECIAL
€300
ROOM HIRE: FINGER
ROOM HIRE: FINGER
FOOD FOR 50 PEOPLE
PLUS DJ
Ballyfermot 49
The Echo, Thursday, May 28, 2015
Palmerstown Active Retirement
Association (PARA) art exhibition
THE Palmerstown Active
Retirement Association (Para) art
exhibition took place between May
22-23 at the Palmerstown Parish
Hall.
By Maurice Garvey
maurice@echo.ie
The event was officiated by Joanna Tuffy TD,
and featured work by 32 local artists and
members of Para.
Up to 80 pictures were exhibited and visitors
had the opportunity to purchase paintings at the
expo.
Art classes for Para members are co-ordinated
by Anne McMullins, and take place every Friday
at the Palmerstown Parish Centre, from
September to May.
Annual membership fee for Para is €15, and a
monthly fee for the art class is €15.
New members are always welcome.
Among the guests who attended the expo were
Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald, Derek
Keating TD and Robert Dowds TD.
Mary Ryan and
Tom Shields
(Para members)
Open Evening
Thursday,
September 24th, 2015
6.00pm -8.00pm
Closing date
for applications for
1st year enrolment 2016
is October 9th, 2015
50 Ballyfermot
The Echo, Thursday, May 28, 2015
Markievicz door always open
T
he Markievicz Community Centre
in Lower Ballyfermot provides
Education Courses such as the
Ecert Computer Course.
The centre receives a lot of interest in
the computer courses from people in
Ballyfermot in their 40s, 50s, 60s and
even 70s. They had no access to com-
puters in their day and now almost
everything is done online.
We have a senior Citizens Group that
meet for a cup of tea a game of bingo
and the popular art class.
We also contact all homes in Lower
Ballyfermot at Christmas to ask residents if they would like to come along to
our Christmas dinner, we would have
around 250 old folks at these dinners
every year.
Everyone involved in the centre would
like to thank all the shops and businesses for their help over the years for
without them this could not happen. We
also want to remind them that we are on
our way again.
The Markievicz Community Centre
provides Creche facilities for people
who are in low paid jobs or in Education. We can fax or photo copy for you
and our door is always open to meet the
needs of the people in Lower Ballyfermot Road.
Fantastic facilities at Base
KIDS these days have access
to a lot more facilities than their
parents and grandparents did
and if they didn't know it – they
have surely experienced this
opportunity through their use of
fantastic facilities at the ultra
equipped Base Ballyfermot
Youth Centre and Childcare
Facility.
The Base hosts a dazzling
array of features such as arts,
media and music whilst also
catering for vital local services
with a creche, teen support
programme and youth health
service.
The 12,000 square foot
centre was established in 2008
as a flagship project thanks to
EU funding under the URBAN II
programme.
The EU programme was set
up to provide a dedicated space
for children and young people
to go late at night and at
weekends – The Base was
developed with support by the
Ballyfermot Drugs Task Force,
the Young People's Facilities
and Services Fund, Dublin City
Council and the HSE.
Having a state-of-the-art
facility in Ballyfermot is vital for
nurturing the talents of young
people in the community.
Much of the work is focused
towards rebuilding the lives of
children and young people
affected by drugs, alcohol, early
school leaving, poor education,
emotional and psychological
problems, economic difficulties,
crime, anti-social behaviour and
other impacts of disadvantage.
This mix of facilities and
unique activities under one roof,
along with outreach activities –
marks the centre out as an
essential cog in the day to day
life for families in Ballyfermot.
Mission Statement
The Base provides exciting new initiatives
working in partnership with the community
from its unique facility where all children,
young people, staff and the wider
community are respected, accepted,
listened to and cared for. Through innovative
and inter-active programmes, services and
activities it works towards providing a way
for people to grow and develop in a safe,
enjoyable and fun environment. The Base
seeks to bring about positive individual,
collective and community change.
Ballyfermot Utd. Sports & Social Club Limited
Music every Friday,
Sunday & Monday
Cash Bingo
Every Thursday
From 8 'clock
All welcome
Function Room Available
Party Package!
Room, Dj & food for 80 people
ONLY €399 euro
Tel 01 6267649
Drinks promotion available
ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND 2015
Friday 29th May
ANNIVERSARY QUEEN
POOL & DARTS COMPETITIONS
MUSIC ON THE NIGHT
LOTS OF DRINKS PROMOTIONS
Saturday 30th May
MEMBERS NIGHT(in the bar)
Strictly Members Only
QUIZ NIGHT Followed by DJ-KARAOKE
(reduced price drinks)
Sunday 31st May FAMILY FUN DAY
@ B.U.S.S.C. Grounds Coldcut
Bouncy Castles,Kids Rides,Face Painting
DJ & Lots More
Sunday Night
Music In The Bar with Games & Prizes
Monday 1st June
Gracious Lady – Glamorous Granny
Knobbly Knees – Line Dancing
Music by Steven & The Boys
Ballyfermot 51
The Echo, Thursday, May 28, 2015
We aim to make our school as engaging and relevant as
possible for all our pupils. We make use of the most up to
date technologies including computers, interactive
whiteboards and ipads.
We place a strong emphasis on physical activity in our
school. The boys learn soccer, basketball, Gaelic football,
athletics, swimming, volleyball, gymnastics, rowing, horse
riding, tag rugby and much more.
Our afterschool clubs are very popular and offer the boys the
chance to try out various activities including Brazilian soccer,
art and drama.
Our early start class is open to children from 3 years and 2
months. The children get a great start in early language,
literacy and numeracy and the transition to junior infants is
made much easier.
Mission Statement
We aim to foster the values of respect, honesty,
courtesy, responsibility, tolerance and consideration
of others. We cherish each child as an individual and
we strive to develop his spiritual, intellectual, artistic,
emotional, physical and social potential. We hope
each pupil can live life as a child and we aim to equip
him to live a responsible life as an adult. We have a
committed staff, which cherishes each individual in an
atmosphere of welcome and warmth irrespective of
ability and achievement.
Mary Queen of Angels
Boys’ Schools, Gurteen Road,
Ballyfermot, Dublin
(behind Civic Centre,
300 metres from Main Road)
Tel: 6235067 / 6265207
Email: mqueenofangels@gmail.com
Call us at
6235067 / 6265207
086 0308 574
or drop in to our
office any day
www.maryqueenofangels2.ie
FREE ECCE
places available
for Sept 2015
ECHO OFFICE
NOW
OPEN
EVERY FRIDAY 10AM TO 4PM
52 Ballyfermot
The Echo, Thursday, May 28, 2015
Ballyfermot Family Resource Centre
Love Ballyfermot...
Love The Echo
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Family Re
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Ph: 01 4685350
Celebrating 35 years, 2015
www.echo.ie
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us on
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